A terrified man had a noose put around his neck by burglars, who dragged him around his home looking for cash, gardai have confirmed.

The man was only able to escape when the culprits were distracted by a ringing phone.

Gardai are appealing for anyone with any information about the incident to contact them.

Garda Sergeant Ronan Farrelly said that the incident happened at around 7pm on January 17 at the victim's (late 40s) house in Clonaycavan in Co Meath.

Gda Sgt Farrelly told The Michael Reade Show on LMFM: "A man was on his own in his house and he went outside to get some firewood, when he returned to the house two men confronted him suddenly.

"Both of them were wearing balaclavas, one of them was holding a handgun and the other was armed with a knife.

"These men were very violent, they actually put a noose around the victim's neck and basically took him from room to room, ransacking the house and looking for cash.

"There was no cash, the only item in the house was the victim's wallet, which had a small amount of cash in it."

Mr Farrelly said that thankfully the victim managed to escape and raise the alarm.

"This ordeal went on for quite a while, almost an hour.

"A lucky break happened when the victim's mobile phone went off, it seemed to distract the culprits - the victim saw his opportunity and ran out of the house, across a field and he raised the alarm with his neighbour," according to Gda Sgt Farrelly.

The first suspect has been described as being between 5'11" to 6 foot in height, of stocky build with and English accent and he was wearing a dark coat and black trousers.

The second man is understood to be slightly smaller, around 5'7" to 5'8" in height, of slim build, with a Dublin accent and he was also wearing a dark coat.

Gda Sgt Farrelly said: "The victim didn't see what type of transport the culprits had but it is a rural area so we assume that they did have some sort of transport."

A garda spokeswoman confirmed to Independent.ie that investigations are ongoing.

Anyone who was in the Clonaycavan Ballivor area of Co Meath on January 17 between 7pm and 8pm who saw anything unusual or a vehicle driving erratically has been urged to contact Ballivor Garda Station on 046 9546002, Trim Garda Station on 046 9481547, or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.